SA doesn't get mandate from Hamas, says Lamola
Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola has clarified that the South African government does not get its mandate from the militant group Hamas.
Israel on Thursday accused South Africa of serving as the "legal arm" of Hamas militants, as lawyers presented Pretoria's "genocide" case against Israel at the UN's top court.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed South Africa for launching a landmark genocide case against Israel at the top UN court, saying it was Israel that was fighting "genocide" committed by Hamas militants.
South Africa accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, saying that even the deadly October 7 Hamas attack could not justify such alleged actions, as it opened a case at the top UN court.
Speaking to the media outside the International Court of Justice headquarters at the Hague after presenting a case at the ICJ on Thursday, Lamola moved to clarify South Africa's position.
"We do not have any mandate from Hamas. Our mandate is from the South African government.
“Our case is also not against the Jewish people. It is against the actions of the State of Israel, the actions of genocide that are committed in Gaza,
“In South Africa, we have a number of Jewish people doing business, living with us, and they also attend their churches in peace, so the case is about Israel and not the Jewish community," he said.
Lamola said South Africa will continue to seek durable peace for the people of Palestine.
"We believe that without the intervention of this court and the international community, we will see a total destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Remaining silent in this will be a gross violation of international law.
We are seeking the court to intervene and end the massacre in Gaza," he said.
South Africa presented its case against the state of Israel in the International Court of Justice at the Hague - in which it claims Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Top lawyer for South Africa, Adila Hassim, said Israel's bombing campaign aimed at the "destruction of Palestinian life" and had pushed Palestinians "to the brink of famine".
"Genocides are never declared in advance, but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts," she said.
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